Table 1. Patient characteristics: gestational age, birth weight, and other basic parameters of neonatal morbidity.
| Before intervention | After intervention | Difference (95% CI) | p-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (number of premature infants) | 263 (31 months) | 191 (23 months) | ||
| Mean gestational age (SD) | 27.6 wks (±3.0) |
28.3 wks (±3.0) |
+0.7 wks (0.14 to 1.26) |
0.014 |
| Median gestational age (IQR) | 27.4 wks (25.4 to 29.9) |
28.0 wks (26.0 to 30.3) |
0.015 | |
| Mean birth weight (SD) | 936g (±315) | 962g (±307) | +26g (–32 to 84) |
0.381 |
| Median birth weight (IQR) | 910g (680 to 1230) | 955g (720 to 1228) | 0.365 | |
| Antenatal steroid treatment begun | 242 (92.0%) | 179 (93.7%) | +1.7% (–3.1 to 6.5) |
0.612 |
| Antenatal steroid treatment completed | 196 (74.5%) | 143 (74.9%) | +0.4% (–7.8 to 8.5) |
0.979 |
| Male sex | 143 (54.4%) | 95 (49.7%) | -4.6% (–13.9 to 4.7) |
0.378 |
| Multiple birth | 78 (29.7%) | 64 (33.5%) | +3.8% (–4.8 to 12.5) |
0.441 |
| Hypotrophic preterm infant (birth weight <10th percentile) | 34 (12.9%) | 24 (12.6%) | -0.4% (–6.6 to 5.9) |
0.977 |
| Cesarean section | 219 (83.3%) | 174 (91.1%) | +7.8% (1.5 to 14.2) |
0.023 |
| Median time between premature rupture of membranes and birth (IQR) | 87h (7 to 156) | 108h (8 to 454) | 0.210 | |
| Median 1-minute Apgar score (IQR) | 6 (4 to 8) | 5 (4 to 7) | 0.218 | |
| Median 5-minute Apgar score (IQR) | 9 (8 to 10) | 8 (7 to 9) | <0.001 | |
| Median 10-minute Apgar score (IQR) | 10 (9 to 10) | 9 (9 to 10) | <0.001 | |
| Median umbilical artery pH (IQR) | 7.32 (7.27 to 7.36) |
7.34 (7.28 to 7.39) |
0.024 | |
| Cardiac massage immediately after birth | 10 (3.8%) | 3 (1.6%) | -2.2% (–5.3 to 0.9) |
0.262 |
| Surfactant administration immediately after birth | 54 (20.5%) | 50 (26.2%) | +5.6% (–2.2 to 13.5) |
0.194 |
| Median surfactant dose* (IQR) | 2 (1 to 3) | 1 (1 to 2) | <0.001 | |
| Perinatal infection | 129 (49.0%) | 103 (53.9%) | +4.8% (–0.4 to 14.2) |
0.352 |
| Catecholamines | 133 (50.6%) | 75 (39.3%) | -11.3% (–2.0 to 20.6) |
0.022 |
| Surgical PDA ligation | 27 (10.3%) | 5 (2.6%) | -7.7% (–12.4 to 2.9) |
0.003 |
| BPD (28 days O2) | 107 (40.7%) | 67 (35.1%) | -5.6% (–14.7 to 3.5) |
0.265 |
| BPD (36 wks) | 28 (10.6%) | 17 (8.9%) | -1.7% (–7.3 to 3.8) |
0.649 |
| Postnatal administration of dexamethasone | 1 (0.4%) | 1 (0.5%) | +0.1% (–10.9 to 13.8) |
0.624 |
| Discharged home with additional O2 | 10 (3.8%) | 5 (2.6%) | -1.2% (–4.51 to 2.2) |
0.666 |
| ROP with laser treatment | 14 (5.3%) | 10 (5.2%) | -0.1% (–0.10 to 0.08) |
0.908 |
| NEC stage II onwards | 9 (3.4%) | 9 (4.7%) | 1.3% (–2.3 to 4.9) |
0.651 |
| Extraalveolar air (e.g. pneumothorax. pulmonary ‧interstitial emphysema. pneumopericardium) | 34 (12.9%) | 18 (9.4%) | -3.5% (–9.4 to 2.4) |
0.313 |
| PVL | 5 (1.9%) | 1 (0.5%) | -1.4% (–3.5 to 0.07) |
0.392 |
CI: confidence interval, SD: standard deviation, IQR: interquartile range (25th to 75th percentile), PDA: patent ductus arteriosus, p-value: significance level, BPD: bronchopulmonary dysplasia, ROP: retinopathy of prematurity, NEC: necrotizing enterocolitis, PVL: periventricular leukomalacia, wks: weeks’ gestation.
*Only infants who received surfactant